The research objectives for 12 Jo 5 were consistent with those outlined for the other Late Prehistoric sites being investigated in central Indiana, namely to provide needed information on intrasite settlement patterns, domestic features, diet, and temporal positioning of specific stylistic and morphological attributes of the material culture. These data supplement and enhance the ongoing study by the GBL of Late Prehistoric settlement in the area (McCullough 1991, 1992, 1994). Specifically, the primary objectives of the investigation were to address the following research goals:

• to identify the presence/absence of defensive structures and to document the overall community pattern;
  
• to locate and identify cultural patterns of domestic activity areas as evidenced by the location of pit features and midden concentrations resulting from the preparation, consumption, storage, or disposal of material culture;
  
• to test for the presence of a central plaza or community area that may have been the locus of communal activities;
  
• to obtain additional samples of well-preserved floral and faunal remains to more adequately assess prehistoric subsistence practices and to determine the seasonality of the Late Prehistoric occupation;
  
• to collect sufficient data to provide a reliable assessment of this site's eligibility for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places and to document the extent of the intact subsurface deposits;
  
• to assess the archaeological deposits in the roadways that cross the western and southern portions of site 12 Jo 5 of the Foxberry Trace addition; and, finally,
  
• to salvage the endangered archaeological resources exposed by earthmoving activities beyond the areas approved by the DHPA.

While the research goals for this project specifically concern the Late Prehistoric occupation at the Crouch site, other components encountered on the site were identified and investigated in the same manner as the Late Prehistoric component.